Hawkumatized!
by Laura Earthrider Winged Wonder
Summary: Marinette has a project she's supposed to be working on... But she has no idea what to do it on! Her project must wait, however, when Hawk Moth's latest akuma doesn't go as planned, and she must stop it before Paris is detroyed. Based on a post by sherlocks-lullaby /pin/583356957959760377/
1. The Project

"Girl, what do you mean you haven't started your project yet? Knowing you, you should be done already!"

Marinette's whole class had been assigned to give reports on the topic of animal/human interactions and relationships. They had been given two weeks to finish their assignments... and one week had already passed. Marinette hadn't even started. Alya was giving her grief about it.

"I know, but I have no idea what to do it on! If I could just figure it out, actually finishing the project would be a piece of cake! What are you doing, anyway?" Marinette replied.

"Oh! You know how I said I was going to do research about how ladybugs and black cats are presented in mythology and how it ties to Ladybug and Cat Noir? Well, I decided to make that my project, and if I get a good grade- which I know I will, I mean, I'm an expert on this subject if I do say so myself- I'll just upload my report on the Ladyblog. Two birds, one stone, girl!"

Marinette sighed. Of course Alya would have an interesting project idea all picked out already.

"Hey, if you really can't think of anything, you could do one of the animals I already picked. I don't have to do both," Alya suggested.

"Ha, are you kidding? Ms. Bustier would totally notice our projects being so similar. Besides, I'd rather come up with a unique idea, not a copy."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, did you know Nino's doing one on how people have phobias of different animals, and how some animals are far more common phobias than others?"

"Nino? Writing a report on animal phobias? Seriously?" Marinette couldn't believe it.

"Okay, maybe I sort of made him. What do you expect? If he's left alone, he won't even think about his project until the day before it's due. I just came up with an idea, and pushed him to follow through."

Marinette laughed. She knew Nino was lucky to have Alya looking out for him.

"Hey Adrien! What are you doing your project on?" Alya yelled, seeing Adrien coming out of the school behind where she and Marinette were sitting.

Marinette jumped, startled to see her crush coming over to them. Silently, she prayed that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself... like she always did.

"Hey, guys! I'm researching animal domestication. Why some animals can be good pets, and why some prefer to be in the wild. I mean, you can't own a tiger, but house cats just want a nice home," Adrien answered, pausing slightly, thinking about his own desire for a home that wasn't broken. He quickly snapped out of it, and asked, "What are you working on?"

As Alya explained her own project idea, Marinette's mind raced. What if Adrien asked her what she was working on? She turned to the side and opened her bag.

"Tikki, what'll I say? I have no clue what I'm working on!"

Before Tikki could answer, Adrien turned his full attention on Marinette, "So Marinette, what's your project gonna be? You always have some really cool ideas."

"Ahhh... I- uh," Marinette answered, rather awkwardly. Adrien didn't seem to notice, as usual. "Uh... It's a surprise!"

"Cool. Looking forward to seeing it next week," Adrien replied. His phone vibrated, and he looked at it, reading the text.

"Sorry, I gotta go. Photoshoot. See you guys tomorrow!"

"Ah, yeah, bye!" Marinette replied, waving.

"Girl, the smile on your face now could take over the world if it got much bigger. I have to admit, that's one of the most coherent conversations you've ever had with that boy."

"Yeah..." Marinette sighed, "Did you hear about how he said my ideas are cool? He said he's looking forward to seeing my project... Which I haven't even started... And have no idea WHAT I'M DOING!" Her smile had quickly been replaced by one of the most terrified looks Alya had ever seen.

"Whoa, girl, you'll figure something out-"

"But what if I don't? Adrien is expecting something fantastic. If I fail, not only will I get a bad grade and disappoint Ms. Bustier, Adrien will be disappointed! He'll think I'm a failure! Or an idiot... Either is really bad, Alya! I can't do this! My whole life is ruined!" Marinette was now on the verge of planting her face on Alya's leg in complete misery.

"Okay, okay, we'll figure something out-"

"I'm going home to work on my project now. I'll call you later, Alya," Marinette muttered as she got up to leave.

"Okay, call me if you need anything. You know I'm here for you."

"Thanks Alya," Marinette sighed.

* * *

"Well, honey, why don't you write one on different places that animals can and can't go? After all, your father and I love animals, but we have to make sure our customers keep them outside or near the door so they don't get behind the counter and ruin the baked goods," Sabine was saying as she and Tom worked on baking fresh loaves of bread.

"Max is already doing something like that," Marinette sighed, feeling more and more discouraged.

"Why not take a walk for a bit?" Her father suggested, smiling at her, "Paris always inspires you. Maybe it'll help with this."

"You're right Dad, thanks!"

Marinette headed out the bakery door, and opened her bag to talk to Tikki.

"Why not visit the zoo?" Tikki suggested, bubbly as always, "There are lots of animals there! Maybe one of them will give you some ideas!"

"Good idea, Tikki," Marinette replied, already walking towards the zoo.


	2. Bird of Prey

"Hey, they have a new red-tailed hawk exhibit! Let's go take a look, Tikki!" Marinette suggested to her kwami.

They had just arrived at the zoo, and saw advertisements for the new exhibit. As they headed towards the site for the hawk, Marinette noticed Xavier Ramier, a man who loved feeding pigeons, sitting on a nearby bench, tossing out pieces of popcorn from a bag he had bought from a concession stand. Before the hungry pigeons could pick them up though, an older teenager sped through the flock on his bicycle, scattering them. Xavier yelled and shook his fist at the boy, before turning and throwing out some more popcorn for the frazzled birds.

"Poor pigeons," Tikki whispered from Marinette's bag, "They're just trying to eat, not get run over!"

"Yeah, it's a shame. People should have more respect," Marinette agreed, turning to resume her walk to the hawk exhibit.

* * *

Far away from the zoo, a picture window in a dark lair opened. The sudden stream of light that shined through caused hundreds of white butterflies to rise out of a deep slumber and begin fluttering around their small home.

"Ah, the frustration of a well-meaning man who's peaceful day has been interrupted by a reckless youth. Just the scenario to cause prey for my akumas," Hawk Moth narrated, clenching his fist. He held out his hands as a single white butterfly landed in his palm. Hawk Moth closed his hands around the butterfly, filling it with his dark energy.

The butterfly, now glowing dark blue, flew away, heading towards the hole in the center of the picture window as Hawk Moth's voice rang out behind it, saying, "Fly away my little akuma, and help him teach those youths a lesson!"

* * *

"Ah, yes, you have such a handsome plumage!" Xavier was saying, cooing over his pigeon friends. He was unaware of the akuma fluttering behind him. All he cared about now was his friends. He wasn't even angry about the teenage boy and his bicycle any more.

"Gah! His negative emotions are fading! Get closer, my little akuma!" Hawk Moth ordered. But it was no use. Xavier simply didn't have any more negative emotions to attract the akuma towards him.

"Well, fly around a bit," Hawk Moth grumbled in defeat, though he refused to give up, "Maybe you'll find someone to evilize, after all."

* * *

"Look at those handsome feathers!" Tikki gushed, peeking out of Marinette's bag to see the zoo's new hawk.

"He's gorgeous!" Marinette agreed, "And look, the zookeepers just put out some food for him. We'll get to watch him eat!"

The hawk spread his wings out, prepared to glide down to where his food was kept. But as he tried to angle himself, a loud bang caused him to lose focus, and he almost fell off his branch. He tried again, only for another bang to distract him again.

"Oh no!" Marinette whispered to Tikki, "Those small kids are banging on the walls of his exhibit. It's causing the hawk to lose focus! Hey, mister?" She turned to a zookeeper nearby, who wasn't paying much attention to the hawk.

"What is it, young lady? I'm kinda busy right now," the zookeeper grumbled irritably.

Marinette could tell he wasn't actually doing anything important, unless standing still, lost in thought was considered a zookeeper duty, but she wasn't discouraged.

"The hawk is trying to eat. But every time he tries, those kids bang on the exhibit walls and distract him. Look how upset he is!"

"Thank you, young lady, I'll take care of that right away," the zookeeper replied, already heading over to the kids.

"Nice job, Marinette!" Tikki praised.

Marinette smiled, then frowned as something caught her eye, "Is that a-"

"An akuma!" Tikki gasped, "We need to transform!"

The butterfly fluttered around in pointless loops, clearly not sure where it should go. After fluttering around aimlessly, it noticed a nearby flower, and headed towards it. Akuma or not, it was still a butterfly, and it wanted nectar.

The hawk relaxed on its perch, relieved one of it's caretakers had caused the banging to stop. Maybe now, he could finally eat something. A flutter caught his attention, and he fixed his sharp eyesight on a blue object that had just flown into his cage. Whatever it was, it seemed fixed on a tiny flower in the bottom of his exhibit... It was a butterfly.

The hawk was used to eating the prepared food the zookeepers brought him, but he still had hunting instincts- and those instincts told him that that butterfly was food. With one swift motion, he opened his wings, then dived off the branch, angling his body towards his prey. He was out of practice, considering he wasn't born in the wild, but in three seconds time, he had the butterfly in his beak, then down his throat.

He was about to swoop back up to his perch, when something felt off. His whole vision was clouded in blue, and a red hue flashed in front of his eyes. He saw visions of a man, but the man was wound in such tight, covering material, that the hawk couldn't make out any details, even with his sharp vision.

Hawk Moth was frozen in shock. Had that really just happened? Had his akuma just been eaten by a bird of prey? And yet the akumatizing still happened... What was he supposed to do now?

Quickly he composed himself, and began to speak in his usual threatening-yet-calming voice, "Uh... Hawk...Man... I am Hawk Moth. With the power I am giving you, you can... Eat all you desire... But in return, I need the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Cat Noir."

Hawk Moth sighed. He really hoped this wouldn't be another Gigantican incident.

Normally, the hawk wouldn't understand most human words. But he understood exactly what the man meant. No one would interrupt his meals, so long as he gave this new person what he wanted. With a screech, the hawk turned and dove at the bars of his cage. With one snap of his sharp beak, the bars shattered, and the bird of prey was now free of containment.

With several flaps of his wings, the newly-freed bird flew away from the zoo, and began to soar over Paris, ready to wreck havoc in his attempt to fill his stomach.


	3. Feathery Foe

"We have to transform Marinette!" Tikki yelled.

"Right on!" Marinette replied, already running away to somewhere private. She quickly managed to locate a quiet area near the restrooms.

"Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

"Ugh, Plagg, can't you scarf that Camembert just a little quieter?" Adrien snapped, irritated with his kwami, "I'm trying to write, here!"

"'Scuse you! I'm savoring the flavor! You wouldn't understand!" Plagg replied, before shoving a big, sloppy mouthful of the cheese into his mouth.

"I understand I need to get this done. That photoshoot got postponed until tomorrow, and if I can just finish this final draft for my report, I'll have this done. Then the shoot won't interfere with my project."

"I don't understand what's the big deal with this, it's not like it's a report on cheese!"

"It's about animal/human relationships, Plagg, something you should be familiar with."

"Maybe I am, but I'm far more interested in the finer things in life," Plagg quipped, grabbing yet another slice of Camembert, "Something most animals have no concept of."

Adrien sighed, and turned back to his computer. Maybe he could stand to take a break from his writing. He checked the news feeds, and was stunned by what he saw. Reports of a ravenous hawk were flooding in, as the bird of prey was either eating or destroying everything in sight.

"Plagg, we have to transform!" Adrien called.

Plagg groaned, "Why now? I'm eating here!"

"What if the bird wants your cheese?"

"Why didn't you say so?!" Plagg yelped, "Let's transform now!"

"Plagg, claws out!" Adrien yelled.

* * *

Ladybug was ready for action, already swinging through Paris by her yo-yo. It wasn't hard to figure out where the hawk was, it was just a matter of following surprised shouts as the bird of prey swooped and destroyed everything in it's wake. Which was kind of a good thing, because unlike most akumas, this one didn't have any noticeable changes in size or color. It just looked like a regular hawk. A regular, angry, destructive hawk.

A black flash and a thud on the rooftop next to her drew Ladybug's attention, and she saw Cat Noir was already on his way, just like here. She quickly swung onto a nearby rooftop to be on the same level as her partner.

"Well hey, M'lady, nice to see you again. Time sure _flies_ when you're around!"

"Hello, Kitty, nice to see you haven't lost your touch. Ready for an akuma fight?"

"Always. Looks like our bird friend got _hawkumatized_!"

Ladybug groaned. She was used to Cat Noir's puns by now, but sometimes they still irritated her.

As they neared a cafe, they could hear distressed shouts. The hawk was dive bombing any and all edible substances, and destroying every chair and table at the same time.

"Come on, Kitty!" Ladybug yelled, swinging on her yo-yo towards ground level.

"Right behind you, Bugaboo!" Cat Noir replied, knowing far too well that Ladybug would be too focused on getting to the akuma to chastise him for using that nickname she hated so much.

A lady screamed as the hawk flew out of the cafe, a loaf of bread in it's beak. Ladybug quickly used her yo-yo, grabbing the bird around his middle, which caused him to drop the bread. As Ladybug pulled, the hawk was turned around, and he found himself looking directly into her eyes.

"Now Hawk... Boy!" Hawk Moth yelled, "Grab her earrings!"

The hawk screeched in confusion. Then he heard the man's voice again, "The spotted things on her ears. Grab them!"

The bird quickly understood, and changed his course, instead of fighting, he allowed himself to be pulled in, and as Ladybug cried out in shock at the huge bird suddenly flying towards her, he extended his talons to grab the earrings that the man wanted so badly.

A painful whack knocked him away from his target, and the hawk fell to the ground, skidding several feet away. Cat Noir had hit him with his staff.

"You okay?" Cat Noir asked.

"Thanks. Yeah, I'm fine," Ladybug answered, before suddenly looking alarmed, "The hawk's getting away!" The blow that knocked him away from Ladybug also freed him from her yo-yo, and now he was flying away.

"We have to go after him!" Ladybug started, but as she was about to throw her yo-yo to swing after the akuma, Cat Noir put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"I think we need to think this through more carefully," he explained.

"What are you thinking, Kitty?"

Cat Noir paused, looking around, "All that bird wants is to eat, right? Maybe instead of chasing him down, we should lure him to us instead."

"Good idea, Kitty! But what do hawks eat?"

"I'm not sure... Hey, where do you think the akuma is, anyway? He's not wearing any jewelry or anything... Not even holding something in his beak."

"Uh, actually, I was there when it happened."

"You were?" Cat Noir looked amazed.

"Yeah... I was too late to catch it, but it flew into the hawk's exhibit and got eaten. I guess it was an accident."

"Hah! Wait... That's going to be hard to fix. If it weren't causing too much damage, I'd suggest just letting nature take it's course."

"Eww... No, we'll have to get it out of him somehow. I'd suggest luring him into a cage, but he'd just destroy the bars. Seems that's his power, other than eating everything."

"Okay, so letting natural causes get that butterfly out of his system is a no. Maybe your lucky charm will help us?"

"Probably, but for now, let's focus on what we can use to lure him. We don't know much about a red-tailed hawk's diet, so I guess we'll have to do some research."

"To the library then?" Cat Noir asked, smiling.

"To the library," _Not something I ever thought I'd say during an akuma attack_ Ladybug thought.

* * *

Super heroes weren't often seen doing everyday activities, like shopping, or visiting a library. The library was normally a quiet, serene place. And while it was still quiet, it wasn't exactly the secluded, calming place it usually was. At least not for Ladybug and Cat Noir, who were being stared at by every single person there.

The librarian was overeager to help the heroes, but at least they got to look at a book on red-tailed hawks.

"Hmm, 'natural habitat'... 'behavior'... Aha! 'dietary needs'" Ladybug read aloud.

Cat Noir came up behind her, helping her skim the pages, "Butterflies, obviously, rabbit... EW, that's GROSS!"

Despite their reputation, Cat Noir's sudden loud exclamation still earned him a few reproachful glares from other readers.

"Sorry," Cat Noir responded, shooting apologetic glances in their direction.

"What's so gross?" Ladybug asked.

"Hawks eat _mice and rats_! That's gross!" Cat Noir retched so hard, Ladybug thought he might cough up a hairball.

"What's the matter, Kitty? You're not squeamish, are you?" Ladybug was trying, and failing, to suppress an amused grin.

"O-of course not! It's just... Well, why eat them? I mean, I guess they're fine, except for that cold, limp tail... And those cold, skittery feet, and that cold, tiny nose, and those cold, tickley whiskers, and those cold, beady eyes... which are all creepy enough to look at, much less have brushing your throat as you swallow..." he shivered.

Ladybug failed to suppress a giggle, "You're afraid of mice and rats, aren't you?"

"No, just... Well, maybe a bit," Cat Noir admitted sheepishly.

"I thought cats ate them! Between your phobia, and your feather allergy, it's impossible to forget you're not an actual cat!" Ladybug joked.

Cat Noir flinched, and Ladybug belatedly realized she had gone too far.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. You're actually the best Cat Noir I could imagine. I'm honored to have you as my partner, scared of mice or not."

"Of course, M'lady," Cat Noir replied, feeling his confidence return.

"Hmm, think you can deal with a mouse? I think that's our best bet. Unless you can catch a rogue rabbit from somewhere, or get a butterfly to cooperate," Ladybug asked.

"Can't we just borrow some of the food from the zoo?" Cat Noir asked. He _really_ didn't want to touch a mouse if he didn't have to. Ever.

"Sorry Kitty, but the zoo's been evacuated, and the food supply is locked up. All the zookeepers are out looking for the hawk. They're armed with tranquilizer darts, not food. We have no way to access it. And the food that was set out earlier got destroyed when the hawk escaped."

"Can't I just use my cataclysm on the door to the food supply?"

"We might need it for something later. I'm sorry, Kitty, but this is our best bet," Ladybug answered.

Cat Noir sighed. He could tell from Ladybug's expression that she really did feel bad about this situation. As she placed a hand on his shoulder, he gave his answer, "Of course, M'lady, you know I trust you. Let's do this!"


	4. A Plan in Action

"So, M'lady, where do you think we'll even find a mouse?" Cat Noir asked, trying to keep pace with Ladybug, "I sincerely doubt any pet store is going to loan us one to feed to a _hawkuma_."

" I wasn't heading to this side of Paris for kicks, Kitty," Ladybug responded, gesturing to he slum in front of them.

These alleys weren't exactly glamorous- and that was putting it mildly. Litter and old food was strewn throughout the whole vicinity, sopping wet from leaking pipes and steam vents. The alleys were dark from shadows cast from the backs of the shops and buildings surrounding and forming them. It was in stark contrast to the brightly decorated sweets shop just across the street, for example. The whole alley in front of them was crawling with mice and rats.

"Are-are you still sure about this? I mean, I'm with you all the way, but do you really think we'll be able to catch one?" Cat Noir asked, firmly suppressing the shiver that threatened to run through him.

"Unless you've got a better plan, then this is what we have to do," Ladybug said firmly. She glanced at the sweet shop across the street, and turned back to Cat Noir, "Why don't you head over there and see if you can get a sample of something we can use to lure a mouse over here?"

"Right away, M'lady," Cat Noir replied, doing a little bow, then he turned and jogged over to the shop, secretly relieved to walk away from that infestation.

As he entered the shop, he noted how untouched and in order everything was. In other words, the hawk hadn't arrived here yet. Which meant now was the perfect time to catch a mouse or rat to use as bait. Cat Noir couldn't imagine going after a mouse when there was a jackpot of sweet stuff right over here, but he didn't think too deeply about it.

He noticed a free sample of fudge nearby, and swiped a piece, then sneaked another one for himself. Before one of the employees there could notice he had taken more than his fair share, he quickly left and ran to rejoin his partner.

"Thank you," Ladybug said when he handed her the fudge. She knelt down and held it out, keeping absolutely still. Cat Noir stayed a few feet behind her, just in case he accidentally startled the rodents, either by the fact that he was a cat, or by the sudden movements he might make if one bolted towards him.

One tiny mouse picked up the scent of the fudge, and scurried over to where they were, hesitating when he saw the heroes. Ladybug stayed perfectly still, hoping to encourage the mouse further. The smell of the fudge was proven to be too much to resist, and the mouse skittered over, and nibbled at the fudge Ladybug was holding. Before he could bolt off, Ladybug scooped him up.

"Okay, Kitty? When the hawk comes, I'm going to need you to use the mouse to lure him. Can you that?"

"Why me?" Cat Noir protested, whining despite himself.

"Because I'll be the one trying to capture him after you lure him. I need to observe him, and see if I can somehow get the akuma out of him. I can't do that unless someone else lures him. Though I won't know exactly what I'm doing until I use my lucky charm."

A sudden shout from people near the sweet shop caught their attention, and a dark form started swooping down from the sky above.

"Looks like he's here. Perfect time to use your lucky charm," Cat Noir pointed out, secretly hoping that the charm would cause them to need to reverse roles.

"I guess you're right. Lucky charm!" Ladybug yelled, using her power.

An object dropped out of the sky. A red cardboard tube with black poka dots, with clear fishing line wrapped around it.

"Fishing line?" Ladybug puzzled, wondering how it could be used to remove the akuma.

"Maybe it's telling you to fish for a new idea," Cat Noir joked.

"Hmm," Ladybug looked around, noting the fishing line, the narrow alleyways, and Cat Noir's baton.

"Got an idea?" Cat Noir asked.

"Yeah, but I need your baton."

Puzzled, Cat Noir handed her his baton, and she separated the two parts. She then handed her clenched fist out.

"You need me to take the mouse? Are you even sure that'll lure him?" Cat Noir questioned.

"He may be akumatized, but he still has his hunting instincts. This is the path I need you to follow..." Ladybug explained.

* * *

"Hey bird, got some lunch for you!" Cat Noir yelled, waving the mouse by it's tail- and trying not to think too hard about that.

The hawk turned, and altered his course. He heard the weird man's voice again, yelling at him to stop, that it was a trap. But the hawk's stomach and instincts were louder. It flew towards the mouse, and continued as Cat Noir turned and ran down a different alley. And he continued to alter his course as needed every time Cat Noir did. All the hawk was focused on was the mouse.

"Hawky, stop!" Hawk Moth yelled desperately, not even trying to call it by any sort of name.

But the hawk wasn't about to be deterred. As Cat Noir turned down yet another alley, the hawk flexed his talons, ready to snatch up the mouse.

At the end of the alley Cat Noir had just turned down, Ladybug was ready. She had tied several horizontal lines onto the two parts of Cat Noir's staff. She had also wedged one of the staff ends into a crevice between two bricks on the wall of one of the buildings.

"Coming in hot, M'lady!" Cat Noir yelled, as he ran past her.

As soon as her partner was past her, Ladybug thrust the other staff into the opposite wall, pulling the net up.

The hawk was too focused on the mouse to notice, and the fishing line was nearly invisible anyway, so it came as a shock when something stopped his flying, and he halted. The tangles of fishing line pressed tightly into his middle, and the force cause him to cough forcefully.

The force of the cough was not unrewarded. The butterfly that caused all the trouble came out, and Ladybug moved to catch it with her yo-yo.

"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir yelled, destroying the tangled net that bound up the hawk. Both partners had agreed that it'd be better to destroy the net than let the hawk injure himself in the fishing line.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma," Ladybug narrated as she purified the butterfly. Then she moved to let it go, "Bye-bye little butterfly." She then tossed the remaining bits of fishing line into the air. She hadn't needed all of it to capture the hawk, so she still had enough left to use her Miraculous Ladybug to bring everything back to normal.

With flashes of light and magic ladybugs, all the damage caused by the hawk was fixed. The cafe and the sweet shop and everything in between went back to it's usual, pristine self.

"Pound it!" both heroes yelled, as they shared fist bump.

* * *

"Enjoy your victory, Ladybug. I still have my prey in my sight, and soon, I WILL have it in my grasp!" Hawk Moth declared, as the light faded from his lair.

* * *

"Poor little guy! Is he hurt?" Ladybug asked, concerned for the hawk, who was sprawled out on the ground, looking very confused.

"If he did get any cuts from the fishing line, your powers reversed it," Cat Noir reassured her.

"Do you still have the mouse? He must be hungry-"

"Uh, I may have sort of dropped it when I used my cataclysm," Cat Noir answered. In truth, he didn't really want to watch that rodent get torn to pieces by a hungry bird.

Ladybug didn't say anything, but secretly she didn't want to watch that either.

"Don't touch him," Cat Noir warned, as Ladybug took a step towards the frightened hawk, "He might lash out. We need to wait for a zookeeper or something," He heard a beep, and realized his ring was running out of ticks. Ladybug's earrings beeped as well.

"Hey, Officer?" Ladybug called, as she caught sight of Officer Roger nearby, "Can you take care of this? We're about to change back."

As Officer Roger came over, Ladybug turned to Cat Noir, "I got to go. See you soon. And you did a really good job with the mouse."

"Always a pleasure, M'lady. See you next time!"

With that, the two heroes parted ways, heading somewhere private to detransform.

* * *

"You were such a baby!" Plagg laughed, as he ate Camembert.

"I just don't understand how a rodent could be so appetizing. I'd rather eat Camembert!" Adrien grumbled.

Plagg grinned, "You want-?"

"No, Plagg, keep your cheese to yourself."

"Your loss," Plagg snickered, as he stuffed a whole wedge in his mouth.

* * *

"That was an awfully long walk," Tom was saying, as Marinette walked back into the bakery. Apparently the hawk never got around to attacking this place, or Marinette's parents would have been much more worried. They weren't even aware of what had happened.

"Yeah. But I'm back now," Marinette answered, sneaking a cookie into her bag for Tikki.

"Well, go relax a moment, we'll be having dinner in a few minutes anyway," Sabine suggested, smiling.

* * *

"Boy, that was a long day!" Tikki exclaimed, as Marinette worked her way into her room after dinner.

"Yeah. You know Tikki, I was thinking... The whole incident might not have happened if those kids hadn't kept the hawk from eating. And then there was that boy scattering the pigeons..."

"People really need to learn respect!" Tikki agreed.

"Yeah, and that got me thinking..." Marinette replied, as she pulled out some paper.

"What?" Tikki asked, flying over to Marinette curiously.

"I think I finally know what to do for my project," Marinette smiled.


	5. The Presentation

"I'm sure a lot of you know about pollution, and how it hurts animals. Fishing line can tangle up and severely hurt an animal, they can choke on trash, or eat some people food that's not good for them.

"But sometimes it's closer to home than that. Animals need to be treated with respect, not just treated humanely. We have to respect their space, behaviors, and homes whenever possible."

It was one week since the incident with the akumatized hawk, and Marinette was finally giving her report. After watching all those animals get disturbed, she had been inspired to do her project on treating animals right. Alya had her phone out, and was recording the whole thing. Ms. Bustier didn't reprimand her for it.

"I saw a little kid tap on the glass on a fish tank once," Ivan said, "The fish didn't appreciate it."

"Exactly," Marinette replied, nodding, "The fish didn't like being disturbed. Someone should have stopped him, or he should have just watched them. Animals need respect, just like humans."

"She picked a pretty good topic," Nino whispered, leaning back to talk to Alya.

"Yep, that's my girl," Alya whispered back.

* * *

"You killed it, girl!" Alya said with a whoop, patting her best friend on the back.

"Yeah, I did, if I do say so myself," Marinette replied with a grin.

School was now out, and most of the class was leaving the school. Marinette's report had been the last of the day.

"Hey Marinette," Adrien called, coming over.

Marinette froze up a bit, "H-hey Adrien!"

"I just want to say, you did excellent. I'll admit, that was a surprise. You really did pick a good topic."

"Yeah, thanks. You did too. I mean, I never knew much about the process of domestication. You did a really good job."

"Ah, thanks," Adrien replied, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

"Hey, we were just talking about dropping by Marinette's parents' bakery to help them with a big order... You and Nino want to come?" Alya asked as Nino came out of the school and walked over to them.

"What?" Marinette asked, startled.

"Yeah, I'm free. How 'bout you, Nino?" Adrien asked.

"Oh yeah, I've got all the time in the world, especially for my girl," Nino replied, smirking flirtatiously at Alya, who rolled her eyes in response.

"Don't get cocky, or I may make sure Marinette keeps you away from any free samples!" Alya scolded.

"You wouldn't dare!" Nino gasped, pretending to look horrified.

"Try me," Alya goaded, causing all of them to laugh.

As they all started walking to the bakery, Marinette sighed. Her project was done, her friends and crush were by her side, and there were no akuma attacks, at least for the moment. For now, life was absolutely perfect.


End file.
